Please don’t judge me, but I honestly lost track of how many times I’ve seen Post Malone over the past few years. Three? Four? I really don’t know. What I do know is each time I see him, I have just as much fun as I did the first time around. That being said, I knew I had to do whatever it took to get myself to the San Diego stop of Post Malone’s sold-out If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying Tour last Sunday. What was a last minute endeavor for me quickly turned into one of the best memories of the summer!
I had a feeling the FOMO would’ve been huge this time around. After all, the warning is right there in the tour name. “If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying.” It speaks for itself. While working early Sunday afternoon, I managed to snag a ticket for myself on StubHub. (Thank goodness PayPal Pay-in-4 exists, right?) I was clenching my jaw a bit, hoping the seller would transfer the ticket sooner than later. Thankfully they did, and I found myself doing my makeup in the car while blasting my favorite songs from Posty’s latest album, AUSTIN.
Yay! I was officially seeing Post… alone!
As I approached the North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Vista, I joined a very long line of cars heading to the parking lots. Mind you, it was roughly 5PM, and the venue gates weren’t slated to open until 5:30PM. I recall telling myself, “Dang… it’s going to be sold out SOLD OUT tonight.” I proceeded to the VIP parking lot, where I was met with the smell of weed and the sounds of excited fans tailgating outside of their vehicles. Being able to park so close to the entrance and having a private gate to enter the venue through made for an epic start to my night.
After getting a shirt at one of many merch booths, I made my way to the VIP lounge, where I got to enjoy a southern dinner. BBQ Brisket covered in BBQ sauce, mac and cheese, cole slaw, and cornbread. As I devoured my dinner, I watched other fans applying face tats, so they could match Post later on in the evening. Awwww! ♡
At exactly 9PM, the stage went completely black. One by one, a cellist, violinist, and other band members emerged from clouds of smoke and minimal light. As soon as Post appeared on stage, it was as if the show I was watching unfold accelerated to a speed of 200+ MPH. It felt like a sudden rush of adrenaline hit not only the crowd, but Post and his entire band. They were all visibly hyped up performing “Better Now,” and that energy served as fuel for a very eventful show.
By the next song (“Wow.”) Post was trotting, twisting, and prancing across the entire stage. He created his own dance break at the end of the song, which ended in a dab. Not to be blasphemous or anything, but he was moving around as if Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger had a kid together. He was just… clearly feeling himself.
As the night progressed, it was clear to see Post absolutely loves letting loose on stage. He would dance, drink beer out of his red solo cups, and ultimately show that he really didn’t care if anyone had a problem with it. He put a great amount of emphasis on making sure the crowd felt every emotion he felt as he sang a song. It was truly entertaining to watch, and also a bit inspiring! Post’s shows are a space for him to be himself and have fun, and fans are more than welcome to be their true selves too. He wants to create an environment where we not only feel loved, but we know we’re loved.
“No matter what the f**k you’re going through, or if you feel un-loved, I want you to know that you are loved more than you f**king know, and I love you so much,” Post said in a speech on stage. “It doesn’t matter what you want to do in this f**king life, do it the best you f**king can and do it your f**king way, because no one can f**king tell you shit. You’re so f**king cool, you’re the coolest motherf**ker in the f**king world, and keep f**king crushing it, and keep f**king kicking ass!”
Aww, Post!
He continued his motivational speech by saying, “You are loved more than you f**king know. Feel free to f**king express yourself, be creative, live your life, live your dream, live your f**king truth, be who the f**k you are, and NO ONE CAN TELL YOU F**KING SHIT!”
And being reminded of that, was well worth the $170 I spent on admission. Cheaper than therapy, actually.
Post Malone will be wrapping up the If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying Tour on August 19 in San Bernardino. He recently appeared on NPR Tiny Desk too – check that out if you haven’t already!
